It is often necessary to detect or measure a low concentration of a substance or parameter of interest and to communicate the data or analyze and communicate the result as effectively as possible. While sensors often exist for sensing a given chemical or biological analyte, or a physical or chemical parameter, it is often difficult or impossible to accurately or reliably detect or measure such analytes or parameters in a fluid or in (or on) a solid. This is in part due to the inability of currently available detection systems to sample a large enough volume of a fluid or solid, much less all of the fluid or solid. Current systems either sacrifice sensitivity to sample a large volume or sample a much smaller volume at the required sensitivity. The result is either that the sensitivity is too low to detect the analyte(s) or parameter(s) at the required (often regulated) level, or the smaller volume is not representative of the larger volume that needs to be thoroughly interrogated. Thus, it is too expensive, too time consuming or impossible to perform the required analysis at the level required with present technology. Further, present systems are limited in their abilities to transfer information, for example, from sensors to either onboard and/or external devices, so that the information can be analyzed and reported, and are limited in their ability to determine or to report the status of one or more sensors. Current systems are also limited in their ability to reduce communication costs through onboard computation, for example, in the form of data fusion and aggregation.
There is therefore a need in the art for a sensitive power-, computation-, and communication-efficient system for detecting an analyte, parameter or mechanical or structural characteristic of interest in a fluid or in (or on) a solid and for transferring information about the analyte, parameter or characteristic to an onboard or external device for analysis. This need is acute for large fluid volumes, or large systems or structures, especially when high sensitivity is required.
Citation or identification of any reference in this section, or in any other section of this application, shall not be considered an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.